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After racing in Spain since the very first enduro races (2011, middle pack always), later going to tons of races as media, in Spain, Portugal and France, and also several EWS in Europe I can say that this is usual everywhere. EWS riders don't do it as there is much at stake but on all other levels is crazy. The moment people get a race plate they totally change, not everyone, but many do. There's no way to stop it. And the "locals" discussion is a totally different talk on its own. One big difference I've noted is in Ireland...

A few of you have mentioned dadlife and mid-pack and /gasp/ being 35 years old (me too) so perhaps we should all keep this in perspective? You are there to ride your own race. What the teenage kid gets to do is out of your control. I'll be at work all week and see y'all in the parking lot Friday night in prep for the Saturday morning session.

"Pie Plates are overrated"..says the guy in PA. I lived in Colorado for 10yrs up until a little over a month ago. Plenty of hour or longer climbs starting out at 6000ft that wide range gears come in handy. It's no different than having 2-3 speeds up front as far as range and MUCH simpler

Spot in Salespunk. Your experience mirrors mine exactly. And most of the riders I’m riding with have pretty much made the switch after years regular rides. It’s just makes everything more fun. Even the boring trails. No longer are you avoiding trails that don’t have quite the downhill as a reward. It’s really just the regular bike experience but more fun. All the infighting seems to come from within our own community.

Some interesting discussion.. I don't necessarily think that they are 2 different sports, but they do appeal to different groups. The traditional bike riders tend to enjoy the suffering a bit. The ebike takes away that suffering. It makes things more accessible to more people.. But, there is a downside to that... Your Moab story is a good example... Some of these people don't have any respect for the outdoors. Will the ebike kill the mountain bike? Probably not. If they could hit $2500, it would see sales jump... But, what would they have to sacrifice to get there? If...

Its funny that the most comments i get at the bike park are from kids. Usually its "hey, nice bike!!". Like the computer age, kids were on board enthusiastically from the start. G ma and g pa still working on getting the vhs on the go. Next gen will be after eebs

This is going to be fun. A bunch of riders who have never tried one complaining that it is a different sport, they don't belong on trails, they are motorcycles, they cause more trail erosion etc, etc, etc. Pretty much the exact same argument that the Sierra Club used against mountain bikes. As the owner of both I can say it is all a bunch of hyperbole. If you haven't ridden one on trails for a day or two you won't get it. eBikes make climbing fun (yes I am fit and can climb just fine on my standard bike)...

Why we’re testing e-bikes: money.

was hoping for a more clever, robot-inclusive response.

I test e-bikes exclusively to land a spot on the kill list.

Been splitting my time between my Commencal E bike and my Pivot firebird 29 for the past 2 years and really with an open mind see no downside. The fitness level for both is the same I feel as you push hard on the E bike( yes you can moto uphill,) more effort the faster you go.. on our Thursday night rides will average 8 more miles per ride ( more fitness) than on my pedal bike.. I enjoy them both, and as a trail builder see no more wear and tear than a pedal bike inflicts. The mentality about...

Props for giving them a go vital. Glad you gave them a few days and had fun. I do thìnk youre tests could benefit from more time on them. Some of your opinions seem like theyre formed in the stage where youre still adapting from the lighter traditional mtb. I think once your not adapting to the weight, but rather expecting it. Youll find the sweet spot and be able to move it around. The weight and the momentum from the weight let them sail deep on jumps and theyre comfortable setting up off the lip. Riding mine w/o power...

Nice that Yamaha is stepping into the market. They certainly have their MTB buzzwords figured out That frame tho... seems very... minimal. Perhaps this is more of an "every-persons" eMTB? The pivot locations remind me of off-the-shelf frame bits.

Clearly a box for his sandwiches.

Eh, tribe is used internationally for groups of people from a wide array of ethnicities. I’d say that viewing the word tribe as a term that only applies to native Americans and that it marginalizes them is the epitome of a white American point of view.